How Long Can A Dealership Hold Your Car For Repair?

If you have taken your car to a dealership for its repair work and you have to leave it with them for its repair, you might wonder one thing.

That is, for how long can that dealer hold your car for repair. Right? It’s an obvious query as it tends to affect both you and the dealer in one or many ways.

For example, you may have to survive without your for some days or even weeks, which will increase the risk of your car becoming a lemon car. Lemon car, what is it? Read on to know more about this lemon car rule and other details on how long a dealership can hold your car for repair.

How long can a dealership hold your car for repair?

Depending upon a plethora of factors (which I’ll talk about later), the period for which the dealer can keep your car for repair can vary.

In most cases, it’s between 15-20 days, while in rare cases, the dealer may even need to hold your car for 30-days.

Here’s one thing you should keep in mind. When your car is on hold for 30-days cumulatively at the dealership for repair work, the car becomes a lemon car.

According to the lemon law, if any new car is in possession by the dealer for straight 30-days or thrice for 10-days each, the car owner can take the help of the federal lemon law.

The lemon law is a law that protects the car owner against their vehicle repeatedly failing the quality and performance standards by compensating them.

In simpler terms, if your car turns out as defective and is on hold for 30-odd days for repair work, you can ask for its compensation.

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Factors that can affect the delivery of your car

So, you have just returned home after dropping your car at the repair shop and wondering how soon you can get it back?

Well, multiple factors can govern your car’s delivery time, out of which the most common ones are the following.

Your car needs more than estimated repairing

You might have evaluated your car’s repair work at home; your dealer will also do the same to give you an estimated delivery date.

However, there are chances of your car requiring more than its estimated repairing. For example, upon initial examination, only the outer work may seem viable, but some internal repair work may arise after a more thorough examination.

In such cases, the delivery date will vary accordingly. Hence, in such cases, you should always remain in touch with the dealer.

The availability of spare parts

If the dealer has to replace a part or two, their availability will also affect your car’s delivery period.

As a car houses both commonly available parts and parts that aren’t readily available and must ship from other places, you should remain mindful of everyday things.

For example, some parts are easily accessible via the local depot, while others need ordering from other cities or even countries via roadways, airways, or waterways.

Here again, the type of spare part and quantity is vital to consider.

The parts are expensive for expensive cars and are thus available in unique places/cities/countries. On the other hand, for standard cars, the dealer may get them from the nearby locality.

Thus, the availability of your car’s spare parts will highly govern the delivery status of your car. However, this does not affect your car’s lemon car status if it’s on hold for straight 30-days.

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Inexpertise of the dealer

Your dealer’s inexpertise in repairing cars can likewise make him take more time than usual for repairing your car.

That is, if your dealer isn’t an expert at handling cars that come for repair, he will eat up more time in delivering your vehicle.

In some cases, a mistake or two by the dealer while repairing your car can become a reason for your car’s late delivery.

Hence, these are the few factors that affect your car’s delivery from the dealer after its repair.

Conclusion

Remember, there are both good and bad car dealers in the market, and it’s crucial to find the ideal dealer for repairing your car.

The better the dealer will be, the quicker he will repair and deliver your car. Now, you may wonder that even if the car dealer takes more time or 30-days cumulatively, your car will automatically become a lemon car.

And due to this, you can legally ask for compensation, but it’s not always true.

For a car to fall under the category of lemon car, you’ve to get your car checked for some parameters first through any authorized agency.

Once examined and passed, then only your car will come under the lemon car category. Otherwise, not!

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